The Potioneer | Fred Weasley

Chapter Eleven|Breakdown

Another week had passed and the group of friends had found their way to the great hall.

"Sirius Black is still on the loose. D'you reckon they'll find him any time soon?" asked Lee.

Alicia scoffed. "I doubt they'll find him at all. Escaping out of Azkaban is one of the most difficult things a wizard could do." She paused for a moment and sighed. "Black did it as if it were a walk down the street."

They all sat in a grieving silence for a moment, looking gloomily at one another.

"I'm sure they'll catch him. They can't possibly let a criminal like him slip through their fingers again." Angelina said innocently.

"They have no chance. He's a criminal mastermind from a pure-blood supremacist family. The Ministry is either too scared to do anything about it, or simply incapable of capturing him." said Marisol without looking up from the charms textbook she was reading.

They all sat in silence again. "Damn, Marisol." Leah thought to herself.

"Lighten up, Ladies. They've got the dementors surrounding Hogwarts. Plus Dumbledore is here." said George.

"Sirius Black has already been in the castle. Remember what happened to the Fat Lady? When that git Cadogan was the door guard? Worst weeks of this year by far." said Leah. She frustratedly closed her potions book and stood up.

"I'm going to a potions lesson. I'll catch up with you guys later."

They all watched as she got up and walked away. Everyone then turned to Fred, who was the only person still watching her walk away.

Fred finally realized they were looking at him.

"What're you staring at me for?"

Leah calmly walked into Severus' potions study and sat down in the bay window. He walked in soon after not expecting to see her.

"Leah, I did not expect to see you here today. Is everything alright?" asked the professor.

"Yes, Severus. I just felt like dropping by and doing some work if you wouldn't mind too much." she said.

Severus nodded subtly. "We could perhaps have your lesson now so you won't have to come later in the week."

Leah lightly nodded and they got to work.

Professor Flitwick was sitting in his private study. He was grading second-year charms essays. There wasn't much to do today.

Suddenly the door burst open. A fifth-year student he knew as Marisol Iverson had run in quickly.

"Professor, I need to know what I can do for extra credit. My score is low and I'm very close to not getting acceptable marks."

Flitwick walked from his desk and stood before the student.

"Miss Iverson, I'm afraid that this school does not do extra credit options." said the professor calmly.

"You must, I have to pass this class! I need the extra credit!" She began yelling and screaming at the top of her lungs, leaving Flitwick to jump backward.

"Miss Iverson I must insist that you-"

"I need the extra credit! I can't fail again, I need it! Just please make an exception I'm willing to do anything, just please give me the extra credit!" Marisol yelled even louder. Tears began flowing down her face.

Marisol didn't know what to do. The stress from failing this class was getting to her, and she began hyperventilating. She thought about her friends, who have been so kind to her. Marisol didn't know why she kept them in the dark about her stress and obsessive tendencies. She just wanted to make them proud, have it as easy as they did.